I’ve now written three books for Mountaineers Books ( two are published and one’s coming out in February 2026 ), and in each one, we include The Mountaineers Ten Essentials . The Ten Essentials are categories of items you should have on hand on your outdoor adventures in case of an emergency. I do a lot of hiking in urban areas with mild weather, so in reality, I regularly only have seven of these on me at any given time. As someone who’s done thousands of miles of hiking in the Bay over the past number of years, here are my gear picks for each these essential categories. As a heads up, some of these items have affiliate associated with them, so I do make a commission on them, but I actually use these items and endorse them. My Take on the Ten Essentials 1. Navigation . Always make sure you have a map with you or that you can pick one up at the trailhead. Picking up a map on the fly isn't my style, so I always look at maps ahead of time s...